VAREADME.txt on VA.xls, VA.csv and VA.zip (xls is the Microsoft Excel version, csv is the
comma separated variable version, and zip is the zipped version of the .csv version and this
readme file).

Use and Attribution: All data is free and may be distributed as long as no charge is imposed and
this readme file is included with the data.  If you use the data, please include this citation: David
Lublin and D. Stephen Voss. 2001.  "Federal Elections Project." American University,
Washington, DC and the University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY.  We would greatly appreciate it
if you would mail us hard copies of any paper written utilizing these data sets. You can send
copies to: David Lublin, Department of Government, School of Public Affairs, American
University, 4400 Massachusetts Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20016. 

Funding for the Federal Elections Project was provided by the Political Science Program of the
Division of Social and Economic Sciences of the National Science Foundation (Award
#99-85999).

In addition to this readme file, users of this data are encouraged to examine the USREADME.txt file for more information on the racial categories used in the 2000 Census (PL 94-171 data).  The discussion of the variables in this file assumes this knowledge.

_____________
_Election Data:_

Geography Identification:
ID is a case identification number.
LOCFIPS is the FIPS code for the county or independent city.
PRECCODE is the precinct code.
LOCNAME is the name of the county or independent city.
PRECNAME is the name of the precinct.
CD is the congressional district number (1-11).

Registration Information:
REG is the number of registered voters.

Votes for President:
BUSH is votes for George W. Bush (Republican).
GORE is votes for Al Gore (Democrat).
BROWNE is votes for Harry Browne (Libertarian).
BUCHANAN is votes for Pat Buchanan (Reform).
PHILLIPS is votes for Howard Phillips (Conservative).
NADER is votes for Ralph Nader (Green).
PRESWI is write-in votes for president.

Votes for U.S. Senate:
ALLEN is votes for George Allen (Republican).
ROBB is votes for Chuck Robb (Democrat).
SENWI is write-in votes for U.S. Senate.

Votes for U.S. House (recorded as "." if no candidate for that district):
CONGREP is votes for the Republican candidate:
	J.A.S. Davis in District 1
	Schrock in District 2
	Goodlatte in District 6
	Cantor in District 7
	Miller in District 8
	Osborne in District 9
	Wolfe in District 10
	M. Davis III in District 11.
CONGDEM is votes for the Democratic candidate:
	Davies in District 1
	Wagner in District 2
	Scott in District 3
	Sisisky in District 4
	Boyd in District 5
	Stewart in District 7
	Moran in District 8
	Boucher in District 9
	Corrigan in District 11.
CONGIND1 is votes for first independent candidate:
	Billings in District 1
	Goode in District 5
	Crickenberger in District 8
	Brown in District 10
	Levy in District 11.
CONGIND2 is votes for second independent candidate:
	Wood in District 1
	Spence in District 5
	Herron in District 8
	Rossi in District 10
	McBride in District 11.
CONGWI is votes for write-in candidates.

Votes on Constitutional Amendments:
CA1NO is votes against amendment 1.
CA1YES is votes for amendment 1.
CA2NO is votes against amendment 2.
CA1YES is votes for amendment 2.

_____________________
_2000 U.S. Census Data:_

Geographic Identification:

	PRECCEN is the precinct code for the Census data.  Generally, this code is a combination of the LOCFIPS code and the PRECCODE.
	PRCNMCEN is the precinct name for the Census data.  Most of the precincts in the original election data file and Census data files were labeled the same.  However, both names are included in this file so users can judge small differences for themselves.
DUP indicates whether data should be excluded from analyses utilizing Census data.
	0 is the code for no problem, include row in all analyses;
	1 is the code for when a separate record contains the precinct election data in this record merged with the precinct data from another record or records (usually right below it or nearby) in order to make it possible to match the election data with the Census data; all precincts were located in the _same_ congressional district.
	2 and 3; the two records where ID = 187 and 188 are the only ones coded 2, and the one record where ID = 189 is the only coded 3; The record coded 3 contains the merged precinct election data in the two records coded 2; this was done in order to make it possible to match the election data with the Census data; however, the two precincts coded 2 were in  _different_ congressional districts; as a result, the merged precinct (coded 3) should be excluded from any analysis of the congressional election of either district.

Census Racial Data for Total Population:
POPTOT is the total population.
	POPWHT is the number of people coded as white only (i.e. single-race respondents who selected white, but can be Hispanic or not-Hispanic).
	POPBLK is the number of people coded only as black OR black and white (i.e. single-race respondents who selected black combined with two-race respondents who selected white and black, but can be Hispanic or not Hispanic).
	POPAMIND is the number of people coded only as American Indian OR American Indian and white (i.e. single-race respondents who selected American Indian combined with two-race respondents who selected American Indian and white boxes, but can be Hispanic or not Hispanic).
	POPASIAN is the number of people coded only as Asian OR Asian and white (i.e. single-race respondents who selected Asian combined with two-race respondents who selected only the American Indian and white boxes, but can be Hispanic or not Hispanic).
	POPHAWPI is the number of people coded only as Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander OR Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and white (i.e. single-race respondents who selected Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander combined with two-race respondents who selected Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and white, but can be Hispanic or not Hispanic).
	POPOTH is the number of people coded as some other race OR white and some other race (i.e. single-race respondents who selected other race combined with two-race respondents who selected other race and white, but can be Hispanic or not-Hispanic). 
POPMULTI all other multiple race categories not included in the previous six variables.
POPHISP is the number of people coded as Hispanic or Latino.
	POPHWHT is the number of people coded as Hispanic or Latino also coded as white (i.e. equals the number of people in POPWHT minus the number who were _not_ coded as Hispanic or Latino).
	POPHBLK is the number of people coded as Hispanic or Latino also coded as black (i.e. equals the number of people in POPBLK minus the number who were _not_ coded as Hispanic or Latino).
	POPHOTH is the number of people coded as Hispanic or Latino _not_ also coded as white or black (i.e. equals the number of people in POPHISP minus the combined number of people in POPHWHT and POPHBLK).

Census Racial Data for Voting-Age Population:
VAPTOT is the total voting-age population.
	VAPWHT is the number of voting-age people coded as white only (i.e. single-race respondents who selected white, but can be Hispanic or not-Hispanic).
	VAPBLK is the number of voting-age people coded only as black OR black and white (i.e. single-race respondents who selected black combined with two-race respondents who selected white and black, but can be Hispanic or not Hispanic).
	VAPAMIND is the number of voting-age people coded only as American Indian OR American Indian and white (i.e. single-race respondents who selected American Indian combined with two-race respondents who selected American Indian and white boxes, but can be Hispanic or not Hispanic).
	VAPASIAN is the number of voting-age people coded only as Asian OR Asian and white (i.e. single-race respondents who selected Asian combined with two-race respondents who selected only the American Indian and white boxes, but can be Hispanic or not Hispanic).
	VAPHAWPI is the number of voting-age people coded only as Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander OR Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and white (i.e. single-race respondents who selected Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander combined with two-race respondents who selected Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and white, but can be Hispanic or not Hispanic).
	VAPOTH is the number of voting-age people coded as some other race OR white and some other race (i.e. single-race respondents who selected other race combined with two-race respondents who selected other race and white, but can be Hispanic or not-Hispanic). 
	VAPMULTI all other multiple race categories not included in the previous six variables (for only the voting-age population).
VAPHISP is the number of voting-age people coded as Hispanic or Latino.
	VAPHWHT is the number of voting-age people coded as Hispanic or Latino also coded as white (i.e. equals the number of people in VAPWHT minus the number who were _not_ coded as Hispanic or Latino).
	VAPHBLK is the number of voting-age people coded as Hispanic or Latino also coded as black (i.e. equals the number of people in VAPBLK minus the number who were _not_ coded as Hispanic or Latino).
	VAPHOTH is the number of voting-age people coded as Hispanic or Latino _not_ also coded as white or black (i.e. equals the number of people in VAPHISP minus the combined number of people in VAPHWHT and VAPHBLK).
